Something to Believe In
by syndomatic
Summary: 02. "I'm home." An anthology of murderers and their victims. — Mina, Masayo
1. Near Miss

**Title: **Near Miss**  
Characters: **Masayo Aoshima, Mina Aoshima  
**Note: **Characters are from the vol. 20 (file 7-9) case/The Forgotten Bond/The Locked Bathroom Murder Case.**  
Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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(01. "You took everything away from me.")

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Kenji is in love with Mina. She knows that; Mina knows that; Kenji knows that. It's—predictable, because denial is his best friend, playing pretend is her favorite game and being second best is Masayo's specialty—irritating, she thinks, and it's either because she was here first, damn it, or that she's more of a masochist than she'd like to admit. Both outcomes are pathetic, though, so she doesn't even try.

Instead, Masayo hates. She hates Kenji for betraying, she hates Mina for leaving and she hates herself for staying; she hates, hates, hates.

Hate is all she has left.

* * *

At some point (too late), she catches up, perhaps through the way her skin is a shade paler or how her eyes are a little duller and the way she speaks sometimes that makes Mina lean forward—a little too closely—and asks if she's okay.

She doesn't quite know what to say.

* * *

"I'm alright," she answers offhandedly, once, when it's rainy and there's nothing but news this early in the morning. Even though she's quite sure—her nails are chipped, she's so easy to read—Mina's thinking, why would her own _sister_ contemplate something along the lines of: a knife, or a bullet to the head? And the answer is neither, because Mina's always hated messes; Masayo thinks she deserves at least a consolation prize. She would know; she's had enough of it.

A few minutes pass by. "I'm leaving." She flips her phone, grabs her bag from the dinner table. "You coming?"

"Yes," Masayo replies, sounding sincere enough to unsettle herself. Mina leaves, oblivious, and as she follows, she tries not to think how lovely she'd look, under the fluorescent light, dead and scandalized and believing until the very end. She tries not to smile.

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**A/N: **Has this been done before? Because it should have. Anyway, first DC fic here; hopefully, this doesn't suck. I'll add more chapters as I reread the volumes.

Reviews appreciated ^_^


	2. Loop

**Title: **Loop**  
Characters: **Mina Aoshima, Masayo Aoshima**  
Note: **Characters from the vol. 20 case (file 7-9)/The Forgotten Bond/The Locked Bathroom Murder Case.**  
Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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(02. "I'm home.")

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Mina Aoshima wakes up. Her head hurts, and she's coughing, spluttering, the air she inhales reeking of chlorine and acid; it takes her a moment to realize she is not dying. She is fine; she will live (won't she?)

Distantly, she hears the sound of a phone ringing (Kenji?), the faint voice of tomorrow's weather, soft footsteps echoing hollowly through the walls. She tries to move, and her vision blurs then, as if on cue; she doesn't miss the blood trickling down her wrist, down her skin, like a loose thread. The pain catches up a little later.

Her whimpers drown among her sister's screams.

* * *

Mina Aoshima wakes up, standing still in front of the cash register. She's holding a plastic bag on one hand and her purse on the other. The air is cold, outside; her throat feels dry and her limbs a little numb.

And then, she remembers.

Abruptly, she reaches out; snatches away the bottle from the counter. The man in front of her opens his mouth, like he's going to say something, but she leaves before he can, slamming the glass door open along her way.

A week later, she returns; she buys a cutter and a roll of tapes.

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Mina Aoshima wakes up and her sister is staring at her. Masayo's face is perplexed, enigmatic; like she's just realized something's wrong. The expression she puts on when she's contemplating murder; she would know.

"Come on," she says jokingly, lightheartedly, her voice cracking at the end. "This is no time to be gloomy."

She's always been a good actor; Mina is better (she always is, doesn't she understand?).

She takes one, two looks at her; when Masayo's back is turned, she switches their glasses around, and hides her grin. She doesn't want to disappoint her.

(Later, when she's bringing the blade across her neck:

"How could you?")

* * *

Mina Aoshima wakes up in someone else's body, crying and shaking and breaking, holding onto her closer than she ever did, begging her to please, wake up, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry—

She doesn't.

(Forgive her.)

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**A/N: **Someday I will write a good long fic full of subtext elaborating on the backgrounds of these one-shot characters. Today is not that day.


End file.
